Watermelon-Jerky-High! (with a jelly chaser)

Watermelon Jerky - Trader Joe's  

A few years ago, What's Good at Trader Joe's posted about Watermelon Jerky. It sounded interesting, but at the time I didn't have a Trader Joe's near me. (I used to go to one near work,  but then I switched jobs.) So I lived vicariously through their blog. Making mental notes. 

Then one finally opened up near me...and it's a nightmare. It's constantly packed, just looking at the parking lot stresses me out. So, I still don't go there. But, we had a family gathering coming up and we have several members with food allergies, so I used it as a reason to brave the crowd and get some goodies. 

Sadly, my location didn't have the pickle seasoning, or the pickle peanuts I wanted, but they did have the tamarind sauce, brown sugar oat milk coffee creamer, the caramelized onion cheddar (I adore), watermelon jelly, and watermelon jerky. So let's give this jerky a try first! 

Myojo Ippei-chan Yakisoba Noodles

Ippei-Chan Yakisoba Japanese Style Noodles 

Instant noodles are the perfect way to fill an empty stomach when you have two brain cells left after a hard day. And that's exactly the headspace I have been in this entire week. So, let's dig in! 

I think I picked these up at Hung Voung, but it could have been H-Mart. They've been in my pantry for a while, so I don't really remember, and admittedly...these are past the expiration date. But, I would argue that instant noodles are shelf stable and dry, so they're probably fine.

 

Inside the tray are a brick of dried noodles and 4 packets. There is dried veggies, sauce, mayo/mustard, and a seasoning packet. To make the noodles, you remove peel back part of the lid, remove the packets, add in the dried veggies, pour boiling water to the line at the top, and let sit for 3 min. Use the handy peel-back drainage in the corner to remove the water, top it with the seasoning, sauce, mayo/mustard and it's ready to eat. I don't love all that trash, but it is convenient.  

It doesn't look all that impressive once put together, even less so when mixed, but it tastes good. Especially for instant noodles. The little cabbage bits rehydrate and give you some crunch, the noodles absorb the sauces making it easy to eat cleanly, and it's flavor, though a little weak, it very enjoyable.

The sauces are savory in that umami kind of way, with a hint of sweetness. Kind of like a hoisin soy sauce. While the mustard/mayo packet adds a bit of tang and a creamy texture. The noodles absorb all the sauce making it a little dry, and the overall flavoring is a bit salt-heavy. But, since I'm the kind of person who rarely eats this stuff and needs to have something to sip on while I eat, I don't mind it all that much.   

As I ate I found myself seeking out cabbage bits, and wishing there were more of them, but you could easily chop some up and add it in yourself to elevate this already affordable, and tasty, meal.

It's yummy, but I don't think I would buy it again. It's convenient, but the packaging is wasteful, and as an imported item it's not as cheap as it would be overseas. A pack of 12 on Amazon is still $42.00. So at $3.50 per pack, I rather use this as inspiration to jazz up homemade noodle dishes. 

 

Using a cheap brick of ramen noodles, a bit of cabbage, mayo, mustard, hoisin and soy sauces, you can make the same thing at home for a similar if not cheaper price point. So, while this was fun, and yummy, this is a one and done for me.   

If you like these, you'd also like: Spicy Thai Instant Noodles, Teriyaki Noodles, 

Veggi Manchow, or Red Curry Noodle Soup

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Oops, I did it Again - I bought $85.00 Worth of Ice Cream

Salt & Straw Summer Picnic Series (5 Flavors)

Salt & Straw ice cream flavors always sound fantastic, but I try not to buy food online because it's expensive. Then, last fall, their Thanksgiving themed 5-pack was just too intriguing to resist. I treated myself to 5 pints of ice cream for $85.00. A pricey payout, BUT every single flavor was amazing and it taught me that cranberry sauce is criminally underused in the ice cream world. 

I was so happy with all 5 of those flavors, that when I saw a similarly intriguing summer picnic themed drop, I did it again. I spent another $85.00 on 5 pints of ice cream. 

This time the flavors are: Pink Rose & Watermelon Sorbet, Baked Brie & Fig Cheesecake, Chocolate Nocino Cherry Pie, (plus the two I am most excited about) Cinnamon & Honey Fried Chicken, and Deviled Egg Custard with Smoked Black Tea. 

Innovation is where Salt & Straw really shines. I loved the combination of salty turkey bacon and tangy cranberry sauce mixed with ice cream, so I am very excited to see if the fried chicken flavor will be equally delicious.  

Gummies? For Breakfast?

Froot Loop Gummies

Like most novelty items, I thought this was a gimmick. That these would look like Froot Loops, but taste like generic fruity flavors: cherry, lime, grape, etc. Turns out, I was wrong. 

I should have known better. Froot Loop Pop-Tarts were impressively accurate. Why would gummy candy be any different? 

Sweet Corn Turtle Chips

Sweet Corn Turtle Chips 

"Lay's Layers" aren't as new as they claim to be. If you've ever walked down the Korean snack aisle, you'd know that Turtle Chips are a light, 4-layered, snack food that has been around for years. Looking at the two products side-by-side, they're exactly the same in texture and execution, but available flavors is the one place they seem to differ. Lay's offered sour cream and onion, as well as a cheesy version for the American market, but Orion opts for flavors like vanilla, sweet bean, chocolate churro, seaweed, flaming lime, and sweet corn. If I were going to pick one based on available flavors alone, Orion's Turtle Chips are far more intriguing. So I grabbed a bag of sweet corn, and a bag of sweet bean (review coming next week) to try. 

Banana-ang on the Drum All Day! - Banana Split Drumsticks

Banana Split DrumSticks

Salt and Straw dropped another really delicious looking ice cream collection, (this one is summer picnic themed), and I decided to go for it. Their Thanksgiving drop was innovative, playful, and most importantly, delicious, so I was pumped. Problem is, I needed to make room in my freezer. I have always liked ice cream, but I never pegged myself as an "ice cream" person. But my freezer begs to differ. 

 

After some rearranging, I came to realize...I already had a LOT of ice cream. So, get ready for a lot of back-to-back ice cream posts!

Banana Split is a recurring limited edition offering from Drumstick, and I have bought it several times with the intention of reviewing it, only to go through the whole box before I get the chance. Finally, it's time as come.

I've got a Pint of Dirt - Ben & Jerry's Topped Dirt Cake

 Topped Dirt Cake

I wasn't super interested in this flavor until I saw that it had a "vanilla pudding ice cream" base. Not too-too long ago, I used to love Jello vanilla pudding pops. They were the best flavor in the box, but they have since been discontinued. While lots of non-name brands have released chocolate pudding pop or fudgsicle dupes, vanilla? Not so much. So I was really excited for this ice cream hoping it would satisfy my tastebuds' Jello-based core memory. 

The Cola that fell to Earth - Coke Starlight

I am fighting the urge to obnoxiously yell, "SPACE COKE," the same way Peter Dinklage yelled "SPACE PANTS" in his SNL skit a few years back. 

This is a novelty product. I know it, you know it, Coca-Cola knows it...but I had to buy it anyway. It's Space flavored Coca-Cola. SPACE flavored. What does that even mean? There aren't any descriptors on the packaging, and the press release online boasted a "subtle cooling sensation." Will this be like those cooling Chinese ice cream Oreos I tried a few years ago that were mentholated? (I hope not.) I guess we'll see!